


did you forget? (the snow's soft too)

by twiceinamillion



Series: a latte at 2 (series) [2]
Category: Red Velvet (K-pop Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Humor, Red Velvet, Sequel, Useless Lesbians, wenrene - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-30
Updated: 2020-03-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:35:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22479541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twiceinamillion/pseuds/twiceinamillion
Summary: ‘snow queen irene’ had always noticed the younger girl.her name was son seungwan. though she was better known as wendy.and she was the prettiest girl irene had ever seen.but she hadn’t known how to talk to her.so she never did.until they meet at the popular café across the road.sparks don’t fly… but hey, she’ll work with what she gets, right?(an irene-focused alternate pov ‘sequel’ toa latte at 2 !!you can read this on its own, but it would be better to read the previous one first :D)
Relationships: Bae Joohyun | Irene/Son Seungwan | Wendy
Series: a latte at 2 (series) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1617331
Comments: 30
Kudos: 151





	1. have i known you twenty seconds or twenty years?

**Author's Note:**

> so the gay said hi. again

irene walks towards the popular café, notes in hand, and a pen hanging from the the pocket of her jeans.

she’s never gone to this place before.

but what’s the harm in trying, right?

maybe she’ll just buy a coffee.

 _nothing too strong,_ she thinks to herself.

(she hates the bitter taste of it.)

maybe she’ll get a latte, then.

just to try it out.

and at exactly 2pm, irene pushes open the glass door and steps into the café.

she can hear the murmurs around her as she strides to the cashier, and she spots the creepy looks some of the guys are giving her.

she wishes she could grab a cup of coffee and splash it in their faces.

maybe that’ll stop them from staring at her like that.

(yeah, she knows, she’s learnt to ignore them a long time ago, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t affect her still.)

_the mystical bae irene_ , they always whisper. _who turns down every guy she meets._

_merciless,_ they say behind their back. _yet she still acts so-_

irene adjusts her jacket, and her grip grows tighter on the black fabric.

_i wonder why i turn down all the guys i meet_ , she thinks to herself, a sarcastic tinge in her inner voice, _when they all act like this._

she gets to the counter and orders her latte. when she receives the cup, she turns back, glancing around the café, looking for a seat.

_but what she finds is far more interesting._

in the corner, she sees a girl with side swept bangs, and long wavy hair. her sky blue off-shoulder top suits her well, and it's accompanied by a short navy skirt that just about reaches her knees.

as irene glances at her, she can see the girl stare at her coffee, and she swears she can see the tall girl’s cheeks redden by the second, the rosy colour of the girl’s face a stark contrast against the blue fabric of her outfit.

_and at that moment, irene recognizes her._

son seungwan.

also known as wendy.

_also_ known as the girl irene’s been crushing on for who knows how long.

_shit._

irene runs her fingers through her hair (a habit she’s had since young), but her face remains emotionless, other than a slight reddening of her cheeks.

_you should go talk to her_ , her inner voice tells her.

(she tells it to shut up.)

hesitantly, irene takes one step towards the girl in the corner.

then she turns around, hair swinging back around and whipping her shoulders as she does, and strides off, cheeks rapidly turning a bright shade of red just like those of the girl behind her.

* * *

“so you walked away from her.” joy affirms, one eyebrow raised.

irene’s back in her dorm room, and she averts her eyes, unable to look at her roommate as she speaks.

“i… i didn’t know what to do…” she sighs, fiddling with her hair awkwardly. “but she should be there tomorrow, right?”

“i mean,” joy replies, “if she was there today she should probably be there tomorrow. so, yeah, probably.”

“oh, good.”

irene pauses, thinking. “should i get her coffee?”

“i mean, why not, right? what does she like, though?”

irene searches through her memories, focusing on that one scene – the scene where she first spotted wendy, the girl blushing, her blue off-shoulder top, her light brown hair falling down her shoulders in smooth, silky waves, her side-swept bangs just slightly obscuring her eyes, and in front of her, a…

a… latte?

_huh._ she thinks to herself. _a funny coincidence._

“uh, i think she-”

irene opens her mouth to speak, but she’s cut off by a knock at the door.

she purses her lips quietly.

“…come in,” she says instead, and the door opens to reveal a bear like girl, and joy beams as she sees the face in the doorway, standing up to give the girl a hug.

_seulgi,_ irene identifies. _joy’s girlfriend._

_she always comes over,_ irene thinks to herself, _but it’s fine, it’s not like they could do their pda anywhere else._

(the school wasn’t as… accepting of gay people as they’d like it to be.)

but it’s fine.

that just means they have to keep it a secret.

_and do their pda in irene’s room instead._

irene watches as the two embrace each other like they haven’t seen in weeks, and when joy ruffles seulgi’s hair lovingly she can’t help but imagine her and _wendy_ in the same situation, and she’s struck by a pang of bitter _jealousy_. (she hates it.)

she can’t help but bite her lip, her heart filling up with longing and yearning as her roommate closes the door softly with her foot and pulls seulgi in slightly, the other girl breaking into a fit of giggles as joy gives her a soft kiss on the forehead.

_and irene’s heart longs to do the same thing with wendy._

( _call me a sinner,_ she thought, her heart filled with nothing but _envy_.)

_fine,_ she thinks to herself.

_so we’ll go to the café again tomorrow._

_and this time we’ll actually try to **talk** to her, okay?_

quietly, irene ignores the couple in front of her.

and she begins to think about tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love wenrene so much,,,, :O


	2. can i go where you go?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sorry i took so long to update !! real life sucks :( this is why i write fanfics

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> irene is hot :0

“okay, you can do this,” irene whispers to herself under her breath as she approaches the same café as yesterday. “wendy should be there.”

“just… smile at her, and maybe wink or something, and then go talk to her.”

“that’s what joy said would work, right?”

she pushes open the door, and the bell hanging from the glass tinkles as she does, the clear note ringing throughout the café.

walking to the counter, irene casts a discrete glance (or as discrete as she can be, at this point) around the room, searching for the blue-clad girl from yesterday.

and there she is.

today, wendy wears a grey hoodie with the zipper open, revealing a white low-collared shirt inside (n-not that she’s looking, of course). she sits there quietly, her palm resting on her denim shorts, and her computer lying in sleep mode in front of her, and irene can’t help but think that _wow, she looks good in that._

_maybe she’d look even better without that,_ her brain interjects, laughing.

and irene bites her lip to fight back a blush as she pushes the thought away from her mind.

she approaches the counter and orders a latte (again), even though wendy already got her coffee, because… well, maybe a little bit of ‘common interest’ (even if it’s not exactly real) will help.

and this time there’s no queue, so she doesn’t have to wait long before the girl at the counter passes the plastic cup to her, and she accepts it gratefully, turning around once again, eyes searching for that familiar face.

as her eyes lock on wendy, she can swear she sees the younger girl look away hurriedly, cheeks reddening, just like the day before.

irene can’t stop the smile that surfaces at the sight.

she looks around the room, pretending to search for a seat, when she’s actually waiting for the girl in the corner to just _look back_.

and slowly, wendy turns around…

and her eyes widen, as they meet irene’s.

_and wendy's eyes are beautiful,_ irene can’t help but think to herself, watching as they sparkle in the light of the café lamps. those chocolate eyes so full of emotions, so _mesmerising_ that she just wants to stare into them forever.

but of course, she can’t.

_now’s your chance,_ her brain encourages her. _smile. wink. actually **talk** to her. _

and swallowing down her fear, irene begins.

she summons her best smile ( _think of when she blushed just now, wasn’t that cute?_ ) as she gazes at wendy, and as the younger girl looks back only to find there’s no one behind irene can’t help but smile even wider because she's so _adorable_ , and her lips curve into a smile that she’d score a perfect 10.

irene watches as wendy gets flustered, her blush coming back in full force now, and when she winks at her she watches as the other girl turns even redder.

which was something that she didn’t think was possible, but, well, here she was, watching wendy’s face turn tomato red.

(and yeah, normally she sucks at winking, but she practiced for a _really_ long time last night. and she probably got judged by joy more than once. but still.)

_at least all that hard work’s paying off._

as wendy gazes at her with those wide (and adorable) puppy-like eyes, irene aches to go over, open her mouth and actually _talk_ to her.

but an unseen force in her brain pulls her back like the strings on a puppet.

_I have to do this,_ she tells herself. _I want to do this._

and the voice in her head says _I_ _can’t do this._

so once again, irene turns away, and she doesn’t- no, she _can’t-_ miss the crestfallen look on wendy’s face as the connection between them shatters like glass.

(and with every step she takes out the door, her heart shatters too.)

* * *

“wait, wait, wait, hold on.”

“you did _what??”_

irene wants to hide her burning face in her hands as her roommate joy stares at her, pure confusion and shock almost _emanating_ from the younger girl.

she swallows the lump in her throat before answering. joy can be… intense when it comes to these things.

“I walked away from her,” she sighs, thinking _i need to stop being_ _such a panicked gay_.

_“again?”_

joy’s eyebrows are furrowed in confusion, and irene averts her eyes, unable to meet the younger girl’s gaze, before nodding slightly.

“you’ve been pining after her for so long now!” her roommate sighs, looking away in fake exasperation then glancing back at the older girl with a look that says _I am so done with you_.

“just go get the girl already!”

“what if she’s not interested in me?” irene whines, interrupting joy in her ramble. "what if she doesnt like me?"

joy stares at her for a moment.

then she bursts out in laughter.

“are you fucking kidding me?” her words come in between uncontrollable giggles. “you- you really think that?”

the younger girl fans herself with her hand, trying to calm herself down.

“come on, you’re bae irene, _everyone’s_ interested in you.”

at those words, irene purses her lips.

“you do realise I’m gay, right?" she replies. "and wendy might not be.”

and her roommate shoots her a pointed look.

“think about it, though. how many girls have tried to confess to you?”

and irene shuts up.

“fair,” is the only word that escapes through her lips.

joy sighs, her point made. “you’re so whipped, unnie.”

“unlike you towards seulgi?” the ‘unnie’ in question replies, eyebrow raised.

“hey, at least I _got_ the girl,” joy retorts jokingly, and the older girl’s silenced once again.

* * *

it's midnight, and irene's thinking to herself.

_tomorrow, i **really**_ _need to go talk to her._

_no more panicked gay,_ she tells herself.

_okay?_

and that night, when she falls asleep…

(she dreams about wendy, and her soft pink lips.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (giant mood.)


	3. can we always be this close?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the gays got me crying  
> owo? more like no-wo

today, when irene enters the café, wendy doesn’t budge an inch.

_strange,_ she thinks to herself. _but okay._

for the third time, she buys a latte from the counter (her throat gets dry when she’s nervous, so why not?), sneaking a glance at the other girl as she does.

and wendy seems lost in her thoughts.

the younger girl stares out the café window with her head resting in her hand, her brown eyes glazed over.

(irene can’t help but find it adorable.)

once irene receives her coffee for the third time, she thanks the cashier, then she turns back towards the other girl, taking in a deep breath and steeling her nerves.

_well, time to do this._

_what are we supposed to say?!_

her brain freaks out as she walks towards the younger girl, silently urging herself to stop being so stiff. _you can’t just- you can’t just approach her when you haven’t even said a word to her!_

_I’ll just ask if I can sit with her,_ she consoles herself. _the café’s crowded anyways._

with every step towards wendy, her heart pounds harder.

and a part of her mind chants _do it, do it, do it_ with each click of her heel on the cold tiled floor.

“h-hey…”

irene forces herself to speak as she comes face to face with the other girl, and she can’t hide the slight tremble in her voice as she does.

she can only hope wendy doesn’t notice.

“sorry to disturb, but… can I sit here?”

the girl in front of her blinks rapidly, jolted out of her daze, and irene regrets not saying “sorry” a million more times.

as the younger girl looks up at her, confused, irene thinks _maybe she didn’t hear me._

and her assumptions are confirmed as wendy lets out a “what?”

_it’s cute,_ she can't help but think to herself.

_she’s cute._

“can I sit here?” irene repeats, forcing herself to smile – _make wendy feel comfortable, don’t freak her out_ , she thinks to herself. “all the other seats are taken.”

and at that moment, realisation seems to strike the younger girl.

wendy freezes up, her mouth opening to say something, but nothing seems to come out. her eyes widen visibly as her cheeks glow slightly red, and irene wants to say “sorry” again but the words won’t come out of her mouth.

then.

“…you can sit on me anytime…”

it’s no more than a squeak from those rose red lips, but irene hears it all too well.

and this time she’s the one who can’t move.

_what…?_

her mind is racing, struggling to register the six words that came out of wendy’s mouth.

_did she just…_

and as the words she least expected to hear (and from her crush, too!) finally register in irene’s mind, she turns red, warmth rushing to her cheeks, making her face burn with heat.

a laugh bubbles up inside her, and she pushes it down. _that’s only going to make her uncomfortable. stop it._

she wants to speak, to say something, _anything_ , but her words are stuck in her throat.

and as wendy realises what she just did, her face turning white, irene can only look away awkwardly because _she’s blushing so much,_ _how is she blushing so much??_

she wants to quickly ignore the younger girl’s words and string something else- the weather, maybe, or the latte she has in her hand- into a conversation, but before she can do anything or even say a word wendy stammers out a few words, hastily grabbing her things, and sprints off, the glass door swinging behind her.

only her coffee is left, standing on the table, the sole indicator that she was ever there.

as if she’s in a trance, irene picks up wendy’s latte.

and her gaze lingers on the other girl, her eyes filled with all the words she never said.

* * *

irene brings wendy’s latte back to her dorm.

she doesn’t know why.

quietly, she closes the door, setting both hers and the younger girl’s cup down on her desk.

and as she sits down quietly on her bed, she can’t help but think about wendy.

wendy, with her side swept bangs, her wavy brown hair, and the red glow that appears on her face when she blushes.

and the way her eyes shined, yesterday when she smiled at her, like they were the sun, warm and bright.

like they were everything irene wanted.

(they are.)

and today, with that one sentence from those lips.

the way she looked, gazing out the window, lost in her thoughts.

_the way she ran off._

irene can’t help but let out a sigh.

_you should’ve said something._

_should’ve done something, before she ran away._

_should’ve stopped her._

quietly, she puts her head in her hands.

it’s a good thing joy isn’t here.

otherwise she would probably go nuts.

she imagines her roommate, cuddling with seulgi – _her_ girlfriend – in the other girl’s room, both of them smiling as they lean on each other, seulgi’s head fitting perfectly in the crook of joy’s neck.

and she feels a surge of jealousy rise up in her heart, envy filling it up till it overflows and-

( _stop it,_ she thinks to herself.)

_this isn’t their fault._

_it’s yours._

she flops back on the bed, lying on the soft mattress.

_if wendy doesn’t come tomorrow, I’m blaming… myself._

_…yeah._

irene turns to her side, curls up on the bed, and sighs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa this story has a good ending i swear


	4. forever and ever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> oh boy ;)

1.45pm.

irene arrives earlier, today.

but there’s no sign of the younger girl.

_you scared her off,_ _didn’t you?_

the thought materialises inside her mind, and she almost rolls her eyes.

_I did not,_ she insists.

_you did. face the truth, idiot,_ the voice in her head argues back.

and irene struggles to come up with a reason ( _an excuse,_ her mind interjects) for why wendy wouldn’t be there.

_…_

_…maybe she comes a bit later?_

and with that thought and a purse of her lips, irene walks to the cashier to order another latte.

_this one,_ she thinks to herself, _is for wendy._

she receives the cup gladly.

so irene takes a seat in the crowded café, and she waits.

it might take a while, she knows.

but she doesn’t mind.

_I would wait forever for her._

* * *

at exactly 2pm _, wendy_ steps into the crowded café.

the younger girl’s face seems flushed as she walks (stiffly) towards the cashier, the fabric of her skirt rippling slightly in the faint wind of the café fan.

_she looks nervous,_ irene observes.

_it’s your fault,_ the voice in her mind says (as it’s done time and time again) to her in a tone that spits pure _poison_ , and she shakes her head slightly, pushing away that thought.

quietly, the older girl watches as wendy orders her coffee hastily, the younger girl sweating slightly even in the cold room.

it takes a while for her to register that _wait, I already bought a coffee for you…?_

and it _also_ takes a while for her to realise that by the time she _finishes_ that thought, wendy’s already rushing towards the door with large strides.

irene nearly kicks away her chair in panic.

frantically, nearly falling out of her seat, she scrambles out of her chair, running over to the younger girl, and she reaches out to grab wendy’s hand, to stop her, _stop her before you never see her again-_

_“wait.”_ she blurts out.

their hands touch, irene’s palm _just_ managing to brush against the younger girl’s wrist, but it’s enough.

and wendy freezes.

when the younger girl turns around hesitantly, irene doesn’t know what to say.

she’s never been one to blush, but she can already feel the heat gathering in her cheeks as she stares into the younger girl’s beautiful brown eyes.

it’s like they’re an ocean, and irene’s swimming in them.

_let’s just hope she doesn’t drown._

and when wendy breaks into a panicked stutter, cheeks glowing red, irene can’t help but squeal internally, thinking to herself that _she’s so cute._

_hey, hold on._

_you can’t just stop someone and then not speak,_ the voice in her head interrupts, reminding her again.

_so talk to her._

_okay, fine._

and irene musters up the energy, forcing herself to just open her mouth and _talk to her, damn it._

“I…”

“I bought something for you.”

forcing her hand not to tremble, she holds out the latte, the water droplets on the cup already rolling down the cold plastic.

“well, I- I bought it for you, but then… yeah…”

her voice trails off as she gestures awkwardly to the latte in wendy’s hand, and she curses herself for the stutter that slips out despite her efforts.

but even still, wendy blushes.

and it’s the most beautiful thing irene’s ever seen.

(even though she’s seen it so many times before.)

“you got a latte… for me?” the younger girl murmurs, seeming almost amazed, and irene somehow manages to stop herself just before she says “anything for you”.

instead, she forces the stutter out of her voice and replies with a “yeah, it’s your favourite, right?”

and when wendy asks about how she knows that…

_oh no._

**_oh no._ **

at that moment, irene realises that she screwed up.

and she _panics._

for a split second, her eyes widen (quite embarrassingly, in fact), and she almost lets out a panicked yelp-

before she covers it up with a “I asked around”, though she can’t hide the subtle stutter in her voice.

she prays that wendy doesn’t notice.

thankfully, the younger girl just happened to avert her eyes at that exact moment.

quietly, irene sends a “thank you” to the lesbian gods.

but now that wendy’s looked away, there’s an awkward silence now.

like an invisible barrier between the both of them.

_damn._

so irene forces herself to break it.

quickly, she hands her latte to wendy, taking the opportunity to take the younger girl’s hand.

and all she can think is _wendy’s palm is so… soft._

(it’s… nice.)

(she likes this.)

_hey, focus._

snapping herself out of her daze, irene quickly breaks the silence.

“let’s go somewhere else, shall we?”

_it’s not like we can talk right at the door of a crowded coffee shop._

so with wendy’s slender hand in hers, irene brings the younger girl to her favourite spot in the campus.

_the hill._

and the adorable look on wendy’s face makes the older girl’s heart pound.

she walks past the college campus with a confused wendy trailing behind, letting out a stutter of “where… where are we going?”

and with energy she didn’t even know she had, irene turns around, her eyes twinkling.

she smiles, and wendy’s eyes widen at the sight, gleaming beautifully.

the older girl raises an eyebrow playfully.

“you’ll see.”

wendy looks like she’s about to faint.

and irene doesn’t know where all this confident energy came from but _boy is she going to use it._

* * *

when they finally get to the hill, irene can’t help but take in a deep breath, breathing in the fresh air.

_it’s beautiful._

she exhales with a happy sigh, excited to show the younger girl her favourite place in the entire campus.

so irene turns back, looking right into wendy’s enticing brown eyes.

“come on,” she smiles, watching as the younger girl looks around the field, intrigued by the new place.

“let’s go up.”

she strides up the hill, going under the shade of the tree on top, and she glances back at wendy, smiling as she lowers herself down until she’s sitting on the soft grass beneath the canopy.

“sit with me.”

and the younger girl’s face turns even redder.

“o-okay,” she stutters out awkwardly.

with every step wendy takes towards her, irene’s heart beats even harder, pounding in her chest.

and when the younger girl sits down next to her, the sides of their arms touching ever so slightly, irene can feel it want to burst out of her chest.

“I…”

wendy murmurs, hesitating, and irene turns towards her, curious eyes looking up to meet hers.

and the younger girl immediately clamps her lips shut, face turning even redder, those brown eyes widening.

_goddammit, you screwed up again,_ the voice in irene’s mind speaks up again, criticising her for the millionth time.

_fuck._

“oh, uh… you can… go on,” irene motions stiffly (she can’t help it) for wendy to continue, and she fights back the urge to say sorry again.

“uh, I…” wendy stutters out, biting her lip nervously, and the older girl wonders if her lip ever bleeds, from her biting on it so much.

then.

“I have something to tell you.”

and irene’s heart _combusts_ in an explosion of hope and longing.

_please say-_

her mind only gets that far before her face starts glowing red again, and she brushes the thought away.

“but first, I’m…” the younger girl pauses slightly, seemingly thinking about what she wants to say. “I’m really sorry about yesterday, I didn’t mean to say that, I just kind of… panicked, and…”

and irene holds back a laugh, but she can’t stop her smile as she hears wendy’s words.

_she’s embarrassed because of that?_ she thinks to herself quietly. _I loved that. it was adorable._

so she quickly replies with a “it’s alright”.

then she realises that the younger girl’s staring at her with a “deer in headlights” look.

and _then_ she realises that _she just cut wendy off._

_well fuck._

confused, the younger girl stammers out a “what?”, and irene, panicking, quickly follows up her previous statement, stuttering out a “it was kind of funny”.

“oh… I…”

wendy hesitates, and irene feels an urge inside of her to _just_ _continue the conversation_ , but damn it, she doesn’t know _how_.

her heart’s pounding, and she wants to ask wendy something, anything… maybe why she orders a latte every day?

but she’s too nervous, too awkward, and her voice dies yet again in her throat.

instead, a memory surfaces in her mind.

quickly, she blurts out a “you had something else to tell me?”

and hope fuels her words as she speaks.

it fills her heart and builds in her chest, growing larger with each and every breath, each and every _second_.

the longing in her constantly grows stronger, feeling like it’s about to burst out of her with an “I like you”.

(maybe it will.)

and irene tries to hold it back, chewing at the inside of her mouth awkwardly, but the more she does the more the feeling grows, straining against the bonds that she grips tight, a phantom hand clenching around phantom reins, unwilling to let go.

but the ever-growing battle raging in her heart remains invisible, as quietly, irene forces herself to _stay calm._

“I…”

wendy visibly hesitates.

_stay. **calm**._

irene reminds herself quietly, though it’s more a scolding than a reminder.

and then.

“I…”

“I like you.”

irene stills, and despite her earlier hopes she’s unable to process… whatever this is.

she can only watch as wendy grips her other arm tight nervously, both their faces glowing red.

and she says nothing.

because she _can’t_.

but inside her, her heart bursts, feelings surging, screaming, yelling in happiness and excitement.

she feels like she’s floating, flying, soaring into the air, those 3 words from wendy’s perfect cherry lips like helium, like wings, like a _balloon_ , lifting her up, and her heart sings, dancing among the clouds.

and then all of a sudden, she finally processes wendy’s words fully.

_she likes me._

_wendy actually likes me._

a variety of emotions flash on irene’s face as the sudden realisation hits her and she’s jolted, _hurled_ back down to earth with a crash – and a mix of excitement, joy (not that joy) and maybe even _panic_ flash on her face.

the younger girl looks back up at her, at her reddening face filled with so many emotions she can’t count them all.

and her chocolate eyes fill with _fear_.

_oh god._

_did I say something wrong?_

irene’s face grows more worried, and wendy’s eyes widen in panic.

_oh my god._

**_I really fucked up this time._ **

_just confess already!_ her brain screams at her.

and irene can’t help but bite her lip as butterflies rush in, filling her stomach at the idea. they flutter around inside her, waiting, anticipating, ready _yet again_ to spill out with a-

“I like you too.”

and wendy looks up, confusion in her eyes, and yet a trace of fear _lingers_ , like it’s never going to leave.

_too soft._

the realisation registers in her mind, and irene presses her lips together in slight annoyance with _her damn self,_ warmth rushing to her cheeks, and she knows _she’s blushing again, isn’t she?_

_deep breaths._

_in…_

_out._

_in…_

her lips part, slightly.

**_out_ ** _._

“I-”

“I like you too.”

and wendy’s eyes flick up to meet hers.

“you- you _like me too_?”

and quietly, irene can’t help but notice that the younger girl’s words are rushed, almost like…

_(you don’t believe me?)_

“I- I do,” she affirms quickly, thinking _this is the truth, it really is,_ screaming it loud inside her mind, wishing that wendy could hear it too.

and the younger girl looks lost for a second as she hears those words, lost in irene’s eyes, lost in _irene-_

before she visibly shrinks back.

“you don’t.”

and all of a sudden, it’s like something’s taken over the older girl, some kind of magical outside force, and maybe she’s almost _grateful_ for it because she leans over slowly – getting _closer, so much closer –_ her eyes gleaming, shining with some unknown energy as they lock onto wendy’s.

her lips part, letting out a whisper.

“if I didn’t…”

and irene knows what those words _really_ are, sees through their façade, their veil of ‘if’s and hypotheticals.

oh, she _knows_.

_they’re a challenge._

(she _loves_ a challenge.)

“would I…”

the words escape from her lips like whispers on the wind, nothing more than a breath and yet so filled with emotion, so filled with _passion._

“…be doing this?”

and as she leans even further in, all irene can look at is those _eyes_.

those round eyes, as they move closer to hers, widening, sparkling as they realise what’s going on…

then wendy’s eyelashes fluttering as her eyes _close._

and irene leans _closer._

when their lips meet, it’s like the most perfect moment to ever exist.

the kiss is so soft, so gentle.

yet it’s the spark, the catalyst that ignites a fire, a burning blaze in irene’s heart, and suddenly she can’t help but reach out to grab wendy’s shoulders to pull her _closer._

as the younger girl sinks into her embrace, immersed in irene _and irene only_ , the older girl’s hands move from her arms to her back.

and they stay like this, body to body, and as wendy lies against her chest irene can feel their hearts beat together as one, in tandem, in _unison_.

wendy’s beautiful lips are soft, like a flower, and as irene opens her eyes slightly she can see the other girl’s eyes- and they’re closed, her long lashes fluttering like butterflies in the slight wind-

then all of a sudden wendy wraps her arms over the back of irene’s neck, pulling herself closer, pressing their bodies together, and irene’s eyes close as she savours the moment and all she can think is _god I love this._

and for once, the criticising voice in her mind, stunned into silence, doesn’t speak up.

this time, _irene speaks for herself._

her hand drifts, featherlight, up the younger girl’s back and over her shoulder, her soft palm cupping the younger girl’s cheek gently, slender fingers curving, tracing the outline of her _beautiful_ face.

softly, she takes in a breath, opening her eyes to gaze into wendy’s.

“I like you so much.”

she breathes it out, so soft that it’s barely a whisper from those parted lips.

_and this time, it’s wendy who hears it all too well._

irene’s heart sings with passion as they’re locked in their warm embrace, their lips slightly brushing against each other and their faces red, as the words that the older girl’s held back for _so long_ finally escape her.

quietly, she can’t help but _wish that this moment could last forever._

_and maybe it can._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> god i love writing this fic. kiss scenes are :DDD
> 
> epilogue coming soon!!
> 
> p.s. did anyone notice the "lover" lyrics in the chapter titles? ;)


	5. lover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> and ah, take me out, and take me home
> 
> you're my, my, my, my...

wendy finally opens her eyes again, still lost in those lips on hers.

and the girl in front of her can’t help but smile, breaking the kiss, as she subtly pushes her room door shut with her foot, a click signalling her success.

“hey,” irene breathes, with a twinkle in her eye.

“glad you came.”

_love you._

it’s been a week, since what they call the “latte days”.

and the two have unofficially started dating.

the younger girl’s arm drapes over her shoulder, her other around the older girl’s waist as irene pulls wendy in slowly, tiptoeing for extra height as she gives the younger girl a soft kiss on the forehead.

and she watches as a flustered wendy’s cheeks glow red.

irene can’t help but let out a laugh at the sight, velvet eyes shining as she smiles.

“ah, you’re so cute,” she murmurs lovingly, running her fingers through wendy’s wavy hair, and the younger girl leans into her, burying her head in irene’s chest.

_you’re adorable._

gently, irene lays her hand on wendy’s shoulder, and the younger girl parts her own hand from her girlfriend’s body only to put it on the palm that’s resting on hers.

“cuddle?”

a whisper, a breath into irene’s ear, and she nods slightly at the one-word request, a warm smile blooming like a flower on her lips.

_always._

reaching a hand under wendy’s thighs and moving the other to her back, the older girl lets out a slight grunt as she lifts her girlfriend up, supporting her in a bridal carry, and wendy bursts out in uncontrollable giggles as she’s lifted off the ground, her bare feet dangling in the air.

laughing now, irene swings wendy around in a circle, her eyes sparkling as the younger girl quickly lets out a surprised cry, which just as quickly gets replaced by peals of laughter, and it’s _music to her ears._

she carries the younger girl to the bed, laying her down on it then flopping on the bed itself with a laugh, her legs hanging off the mattress but she doesn’t mind.

and their laughter dies down after a while, but the atmosphere is far from cold, and they know that the smile on their face will never fade as long as they’re together.

softly, wendy lets out a happy sigh.

“did you know,” she murmurs, a wistful tone to her voice, “that I used to think of you as, like, a really smooth person?”

and irene feigns a shocked look, eyes widening in an exaggerated manner.

“me?”

she breaks into a smile again, unable to hold her expression for long. “me, _smooth_?”

“yep.” wendy sits up, her eyes still fixed on the older girl. “you were really cool.”

(irene almost chokes.)

“me?” she bursts out laughing again at the _idea_ of it. “ _cool_?”

and wendy’s lips curve into a teasing smirk, a glint in her brown eyes.

“yeah, but now I know you’re nothing more than a _panicked gay_.”

she draws out those last two words, accenting every word with a poke of her finger on irene’s nose.

the older girl can’t help but let out a giggle.

“not like you aren’t,” she counters jokingly, and wendy sighs in mock exaggeration.

“seriously, though.”

the younger girl murmurs, both her face and her tone softer now, and this time irene’s the one who sits up, turning towards wendy as she speaks.

“remember how you used to have that nickname? snow queen?”

“wasn’t one I _chose_.” irene shrugs. “but okay.”

“yeah…” wendy pauses. “I used to think of you as that. it was kinda…”

then her eyes widen as realisation hits her. “snow queen bae irene,” she laughs again. “it rhymes!”

“snow queen bae _joohyun,_ ” irene corrects, with a smile on her face, because her girlfriend’s excited tone, so musical and melodious, is simply _beautiful_.

“but that doesn’t sound as nice…” wendy pouts, her lower lip sticking out slightly, and when she looks up at irene to give her a fake pitiful look the older girl can’t help but burst into laughter again at the _look on her girlfriend’s face,_ stunned once again by wendy’s pure _adorableness._

and irene fans herself vigorously, attempting to calm down, and lets out a breath.

“ah… but seriously though, why a snow queen?”

she cocks her head innocently, looking up at her girlfriend.

“was it because I was… _cold?”_

her mouth curves into a smirk as she speaks, and wendy presses her lips together in fake exasperation, though her sparkling eyes belie her inner amusement.

“icy,” she replies matter-of-factly, despite the smirk on her face speaking otherwise. “icy cold.”

“aww.”

irene’s the one who pouts this time, giving the younger girl puppy eyes.

“well… I guess you forgot one thing.”

subtly, she shifts closer to her girlfriend, waiting for wendy’s next words, the inevitable question of-

“forgot what?”

their eyes meet, and despite the fact that they’ve been dating for a week already the tension in the air is still _electrifying_ , irene’s velvet eyes so _alluring_ , and they’re leaving the younger girl wanting _more._

“you forgot…”

“that the snow’s _soft_ too.”

a gentle coo from irene’s luscious lips, as they move to plant a kiss on wendy’s forehead yet again.

and the younger girl’s stunned for a moment, eyes widening, lips parting-

then wendy reaches up, her soft hands landing gently on irene’s cheeks.

she tilts the older girl’s head downwards slightly.

smiling, she leans forward, brown eyes closing.

_and their lips meet once again._

irene’s hands move to wendy’s shoulders as they share yet another tender kiss.

and this time, wendy’s the one who breaks it.

“soft, huh?”

the younger girl whispers through the kiss, and her lips curve into a smile.

“soft for _you._ ”

irene’s face grows hot as she replies, and she reaches up as well, taking the younger girl’s hand from her cheek, _taking it in hers._

“only me?”

a quiet tease.

but when her girlfriend answers her words are far from a joke.

“mhm.”

a soft murmur, the older girl’s lips closing to form the letters, then parting again to say…

_“only you.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lover.
> 
> oh my god,,,,,  
> i can't believe i finished this. i genuinely can't believe i finished this. i think i'm going to cry in a corner for 5 days straight (well, not straight but you get the point).   
> anyways i hope you guys enjoyed this! because i certainly did, and i can't believe how sad i feel now that it's over. i have more projects waiting to be done though, so keep an eye out for those :))
> 
> someday i'm going to come back and reread this and i'm going to cry no more than 4 chapters in, from either sentimentalism (is that a word? my brain has been destroyed by exams) or from looking at my own terrible writing. 
> 
> anyways,, enough talk, i hope yall liked this, thanks for reading !!! <3
> 
> and if you want to, check out [my tumblr](https://2wice-in-a-million.tumblr.com) !! i post more of my writing there :)))

**Author's Note:**

> i love wenrene so much,,, :O


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